When you think of horror-themed characters from DC Comics, the names that usually come to mind are Swamp Thing and The Sandman, or even The Batman.
But, how about Aquaman? Well, if Aquaman director James Wan has his way, DC’s King of the Seven Seas will take his place among those frightening fan favorites.
Wan–who helmed 2018’s box office smash Aquaman–is best known to horror fans as the man behind The Conjuring and Saw franchises, and he said in a recent interview that he will bring that background to bear in Aquaman 2, as reported by movieweb.com.
When asked during a recent Q&A session about elements of horror being part of the aquatic sequel, Wan acknowledged he’s moving in that direction. “I would say yes,” the filmmaker remarked. “Just like the first movie had a touch of my horror sensibility in it–in regards to the trench sequence–I would say there’ll be a little bit of that in this next one.”
Wan added that horror themes are something “that’s a big part of who I am, and it just naturally comes out in these kinds of films. And especially a movie like Aquaman…where the story takes place in those underwater worlds that can be very scary.”
Wan said his love for the horror genre means “that I latch myself to those scenes and try to give them a little bit more of my scary sauce.”
In fact, the frightening trench sequence in Aquaman Wan alluded to reportedly will get its own spinoff–a horror film called The Trench that is now in development, with Wan as producer and a script by Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald.
Aquaman 2–written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who also penned the original movie with Will Beall–is slated for release Dec. 16, 2022. Most of the main cast of the first film–including Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II–is expected to return for the sequel.
The original Aquaman was one of 2018’s biggest blockbusters, grossing more than $1.1 billion worldwide, making it the most successful film based on a DC Comics character.
Keep reading Horror News Network for all updates on Aquaman 2 and The Trench.